First Cause
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Global >
      • United States
      • Africa
      • Democratic Republic of Congo
      • Guatemala
      • India
      • Kenya
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Nigeria
      • Peru
      • Rwanda
      • Sweden
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
    • Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Our Statement of Faith
  • Training
  • Leader Resources
    • Outreach
    • Quotes A-C
    • Quotes D-F
    • Quotes G-K
    • Quotes L-O
    • Quotes P-R
    • Quotes S-U
    • Quotes V-Z
    • Worship
    • Testimonials
    • Annual Newsletter
  • Leader Podcasts
  • Blog
  • Prayer
    • A Link In The Chain
    • Prayer Request
    • Long Eternal Line
  • STORE
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Inicio
  • Nosotros
    • Liderazgo
    • Equipo
  • Capacitacion
  • Eventos
  • Blog Devocionales
  • Galeria
  • Contacto
  • Link Page
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Global >
      • United States
      • Africa
      • Democratic Republic of Congo
      • Guatemala
      • India
      • Kenya
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Nigeria
      • Peru
      • Rwanda
      • Sweden
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
    • Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Our Statement of Faith
  • Training
  • Leader Resources
    • Outreach
    • Quotes A-C
    • Quotes D-F
    • Quotes G-K
    • Quotes L-O
    • Quotes P-R
    • Quotes S-U
    • Quotes V-Z
    • Worship
    • Testimonials
    • Annual Newsletter
  • Leader Podcasts
  • Blog
  • Prayer
    • A Link In The Chain
    • Prayer Request
    • Long Eternal Line
  • STORE
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Inicio
  • Nosotros
    • Liderazgo
    • Equipo
  • Capacitacion
  • Eventos
  • Blog Devocionales
  • Galeria
  • Contacto
  • Link Page
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Reveration Blog

1/6/2023 1 Comment

The Lord Will Provide

Picture
The old Mary would have freaked out but not the new Mary.  The old Mary was extremely insecure with finances and struggled with worry.  The new Mary was all about trusting God, and now she faced one of the biggest tests in her life.  One of her clients owed her over $60,000 and had missed several deadlines in paying their debt.  She had leveraged her credit card to keep her business afloat, and if ever there was a time for panic, it was now. But instead of harassing the client to pay or taking them to court, she was gracious to them and kept her confidence that her business was God’s and not hers.  He would provide.  First, her hospital wrote off a bill she owed of $170,000! Second, other clients provided much-needed funds.  Finally, a different bank gave her a new and better credit line of almost $200,000. ​

Read More...
1 Comment

11/13/2022 0 Comments

The Night Before a Hanging

Picture
Esther is an amazing book that teaches why God’s people should trust Him, keep their faith, and not give in to opposition and persecution.  The Israelite exiles faced elimination thanks to an antagonist named Haman, who talked his king into decreeing their destruction. Before the dreaded day of death came for the exiles, Haman constructed a gallows for his enemy Mordecai and went to sleep, confident of his diabolical plan’s fulfillment the next day.

Read More...
0 Comments

6/29/2022 0 Comments

Understanding Delay

Picture
I hope this is an encouraging word for someone—discouraged by delays, by the hiccups of life that seem insidious; by the time that goes too fast when you want it to be slow and too slow when you want it to be fast. ​

Read More...
0 Comments

1/31/2022 0 Comments

Don't Get Agitated!

Picture
Do you know someone who constantly bothers you?  Are there people who consistently distress your life by their words or actions?  If this is your experience it is not unusual. I am pretty sure almost every human on the planet gets agitated—some on a daily or hourly basis! What causes such tension? Immaturity, unnecessary volume, rudeness, dangerous driving habits, failure to learn and correct mistakes, claiming to know what someone thinks, not listening . . . the list can be annoying long.

Read More...
0 Comments

10/20/2021 0 Comments

Virtue Above Values

Picture
         Dr. Gary Bredfeldt, author of Great Leader, Great Teacher, has some poignant observations to share about the character of leaders.[1] He notes that values are valuable as principles, qualities or standards. Values represent leader beliefs that come from heartfelt commitment—that indicate emotional investment. They can be morally neutral and subjective and, as society increasingly becomes relativistic, values (which are not moral absolutes) gain greater favor. Values can be personalized and tied to race, gender or class.  ​

Read More...
0 Comments

6/10/2021 0 Comments

You Can't Move In

Picture
Bryan York enjoying his temporary lodging.
I was loading up the car with boxes of books to take to our new apartment when my cell phone rang. When I answered the phone Taylor, one of the staff for Jefferson Gables Apartments, said, “Mr. York I’m so sorry but you cannot move in tomorrow.  We found an error.”
“An error, what kind of error?”
“We have to replace the entire carpet. You can’t move in for at least two weeks. But the good news is you will have new carpet.”

Read More...
0 Comments

12/26/2020 1 Comment

Preserving Unity

Picture
​Meditation
Acts 4:32—Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.

Read More...
1 Comment

1/6/2020 0 Comments

I Wait For Your Salvation LORD

Picture
​Meditation
Genesis 49:18—I wait for Your salvation LORD.  
 
The Hebrew word yšû‘āh occurs 78 times in the Old Testament and means salvation (47); deliver, deliverer, deliverance (11); savior, saves, saving (10); victories, victorious, victory (8); rescue (1); and safety (1).  The word is only used once in the book of Genesis by Jacob when he pronounced on his deathbed what would happen to his twelve sons.  I’m not sure if his words referred to Dan who was the seventh son he was speaking to, or if they were a personal prayer before continuing his prophetic messages to his five remaining sons.  But if the latter case is true, then it would appear that Jacob possessed a belief in the afterlife.  ​

Read More...
0 Comments

1/5/2019 0 Comments

How Sensible Are You?

Picture
Lisa was quite frustrated with Jacov.  He and his wife were not in agreement when it came to living sensibly.  She wisely stewarded resources while he grew up living lavishly.  Their arguments over finances and possessions put significant strain on their marriage. His lack of preparation and impatience often caused them unnecessary challenges. Finally, in desperation to bring peace, Jacov found a marriage counselor that he and Lisa could go to for help.  To their surprise, the counselor actually made their sessions pleasant and more importantly, he equipped them with ten guidelines to help them live sensibly. He encouraged them that if they both observed these recommendations they should have less friction and fighting in their marriage


Read More...
0 Comments

10/2/2018 0 Comments

Patience--An Operating Power

​Sadie is amazing.  Her body is constantly wracked in arthritic pain yet her countenance reveals mostly joy.  She has more broken bones than most football players.  Her abusive husband died leaving her penniless and with no insurance to handle her ever-mounting medical bills.  Still, she does not complain.  Her ’96 faded blue Ford Taurus won’t start so she must rely on the help of others to get around until she can find the money to pay a mechanic to fix it. Her son is addicted to meth and her daughter is in her fourth relationship with a man who is a total controller.  If anyone was a candidate for bitterness it would be Sadie.  Yet she is serene and confident in her faith.  She consistently encourages others—an empathy distributing angel in a world of mean, selfish people.  What is her secret?

Read More...
0 Comments

8/20/2018 0 Comments

Selecting Leaders

The Ascent Church in Monument, Colorado is in the process of selecting new elders. Two of us, who are currently on the elder board, recently met with one of two prospective elders to gauge whether he would be a good addition to our team.  The process will continue with several more meetings with our pastors and elders and, then if nominated, the congregation will vote to bring them on as elders.  It is a solid method and it works well for our church.
 
Meditation
1 Timothy 5:22—Don’t be too quick to appoint anyone as an elder, and don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
​

Read More...
0 Comments

6/22/2018 0 Comments

Have You Fertilized It?

Meditation
Luke 13:8,9—He answered him, “Sir, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you shall cut it down.”
 
Jesus shared the parable of the barren fig tree to His listeners about a man who, frustrated with the fact that his fig three after three years was still not producing figs, told his vinedresser to cut it down.  The vinedresser was more patient and felt like corrective steps were necessary before just killing the tree.

Read More...
0 Comments

11/23/2015 0 Comments

Jumping to Conclusions

​Allie jogged from her house to school when a neighborhood dog broke loose from his owner and chased her.  The mean canine bit her several times before his master was able to regain control. “How unfair and unlucky!” her angry Aunt Zelda said to her mother Susan as they sat in the hospital waiting room while the doctor treated her.  “We don’t know that,” Susan responded.

Read More...
0 Comments

8/2/2014 0 Comments

Put a Guard on My Mouth

​My team briefed me at 3:30 p.m.  The key slide in their operational brief that I would have to in turn brief my boss at 5:00 p.m. was awful.  The words that were to describe our progress were not clear and there were too many confusing acronyms.  And what was supposed to be a clear map for the location of the disaster in our exercise, with scope of destruction from a notional bomb, was just a big brown blob.  Each subordinate unit that briefed me had much better graphics depicting roads, cities and key information.  But I couldn’t use their work because by the time all the units finished speaking there wasn’t enough time for the staff to swap content.  Inside I was fuming.  This was our first chance to make a strong impression on our higher headquarters and our one slide was unprofessional.  

Read More...
0 Comments

4/12/2014 0 Comments

The Pure Word

Jadon is almost 21 months old and being his grandpa is one of life’s great blessings.  Jadon’s first word was “ball.”  Virtually as soon as he learned how to walk he began kicking balls.  He will walk and run around the room for quite awhile either throwing or kicking soccer balls, footballs, tennis balls (well you get the idea) and it is amazing to see his coordination.  Jadon’s first phrase was “I love you” which he learned from Mark and Sarah. But his first connection of two different words was “more food.”  Mentally he figured it out that more combined with food communicated that he was still hungry.  

Read More...
0 Comments

9/25/2013

Parable of the Three Squirrels

Animus looked down on the three squirrels and chortled.  Next to scolding the dog the crow's favorite activity was teasing the nut-hoarders.  "Hey Might--you think you are so strong and brave.  I bet you can't drop a plum on Saber's head."  Might bristled at the dare.  As the largest and most powerful in his family, he took pride in his feats of strength.  Now with September halfway gone, the purple fruit was fat and juicy and he was in truth sitting next to one of the largest plums on the whole tree.  Directly below him with his permanent hunter stare, sat Saber, a large sheltie who absolutely loved chasing squirrels.

Read More...

7/16/2011

Hurried

Here’s a fantastic way to test your life pace.  How long can you wait without uttering derogatory words or pressing your hands against the wheel, behind a car that is not moving when the traffic light turns green? Today on my way to a function, the red light changed but the car to my left did not move.  In less than four seconds horns were blowing.  At the next light I did not move fast enough and again there was honking.  I guess the drivers in Houston have even less patience than the drivers in Portland.  So what’s the big hurry?  
​
Solomon writes of the bride who is awakened to the sound of her beloved knocking at her door. Unfortunately she takes too long to answer . . .

Read More...

5/23/2011 0 Comments

Finding Answers

How often do you seek answers from the Bible so as to know what to do?   For years Kathleen and I have not been able to sell our home and because of this our equity is tied up.  Not having the ability to free up this money is frustrating.  I wonder how many hours I have spent trying to identify a solution to our situation.  Recently, I read in Psalm 16:5, “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot” (ESV).  What a great reminder that He is in control of my lot (in context lot refers to the future but here it makes a nice property statement)!  He will resolve our housing situation when the time is right. Occasionally finding answers is not the issue.  What I need is to be at peace with the Answer. 

Read More...
0 Comments

1/17/2009 0 Comments

Gloom

​When cadets return to West Point in January, they enter what is called the gloom period.   The buildings are gray, the skies are dreary and a feeling of “I wish I could just take a long, extended nap” settles upon the Corps.  I lived through four years of that gloom period.  Imagine my surprise when I moved to San Diego and discovered that June was called the same thing!  The ever-present sun gave way to incessant fog and a chilly air.  What were we thinking when we moved to western Oregon, a place famous for what can often be eight months of drizzle and fog?

Read More...
0 Comments

5/27/2006 0 Comments

Long Suffering

​Recently, the Vietnam Traveling Wall (the 3/4ths replication of the amazing black wall in Washington D.C.), traveled to Portland, Oregon. Etched in somber stone is the name of every veteran killed in Indochina.  During the opening ceremony I represented the 104th Division.  Afterwards I was invited to a dinner with the special people from the cemetery that planned the event.  

Read More...
0 Comments

<<Previous

    Categories

    All
    Abiding
    Ability
    Accountability
    Accusations
    Action
    Adaptable
    Adversity
    Advice
    Agreement
    Alert
    Alliance
    Ambition
    Angels
    Anger
    Anointing
    Arguing
    Aspiration
    Assumptions
    Attitude
    Authority
    Available
    Balance
    Baptism
    Belief
    Betrayal
    Bible
    Bitterness
    Blessings
    Blood
    Bold
    Boundaries
    Bribery
    Burn Out
    Busyness
    Calling
    Calm
    Care
    Causes
    Challenges
    Change
    Character
    Choices
    Christmas
    Comfort
    Commitment
    Communication
    Communion
    Community
    Comparison
    Compassion
    Complacency
    Complaining
    Compromise
    Concern
    Conduct
    Confession
    Confrontation
    Confusion
    Conscience
    Consent
    Considerate
    Contentment
    Context
    Corruption
    Courage
    Craving
    Creation
    Creativity
    Criticism
    Curiosity
    Dark
    Death
    Deception
    Decision Making
    Dedication
    Delay
    Deliverance
    Demons
    Depression
    Despair
    Discernment
    Discipleship
    Discipline
    Discouragement
    Dishonesty
    Disobedience
    Disrespect
    Divine Appointment
    Divisive
    Dogmatic
    Doubt
    Duty
    Easter
    Edify
    Empathy
    Encouragement
    Endurance
    Envy
    Eternity
    Ethics
    Evangelism
    Evolution
    Example
    Excuses
    Experience
    Failure
    Faith
    Faithful
    Fasting
    Fathers
    Favor
    Fear
    Feedback
    Fellowship
    Flesh
    Focus
    Follow
    Foolishness
    Forgiveness
    Freedom
    Friendly
    Friendship
    Fruit
    Gentle
    Giving
    Glory
    Goals
    God
    God Fearing
    Godly
    Gods Love
    Gods Promises
    Good Friday
    Gossip
    Government
    Grace
    Grumbling
    Guidance
    Habit
    Happiness
    Healing
    Healthy
    Heart
    Heaven
    Hell
    Help
    Heresy
    Heroism
    History
    Holidays
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Honor
    Hope
    Humility
    Hypocrisy
    Idolatry
    Image
    Immorality
    Incompetent
    Inconsistent
    Ingratitude
    Inheritance
    Initiative
    Insecurity
    Inspiration
    Integrity
    Interference
    Isolation
    Israel
    Jealousy
    Jesus
    Joy
    Judgment
    Justice
    Justification
    Kindness
    Knowledge
    Language
    Laughter
    Law
    Lazy
    Leadership
    Learning
    Legalism
    Life
    Light
    Listening
    Lonely
    Love
    Loyalty
    Lying
    Marriage
    Meaning
    Meditation
    Memorial
    Mentor
    Mercy
    Mind
    Ministry
    Miracles
    Money
    Music
    Name
    Obedient
    Observation
    Opportunity
    Opposition
    Pain
    Parables
    Parenting
    Passion
    Patience
    Peace
    Perseverance
    Philosophies
    Plan
    Poem
    Possessions
    Power
    Praise
    Prayer
    Prayer For Leaders
    Prejudice
    Preparation
    Pride
    Priorities
    Profiles
    Promises
    Protection
    Providence
    Provision
    Prudence
    Psalms
    Punishment
    Purpose
    Questions
    Rebellious
    Recognition
    Reconcilation
    Redemption
    Relativism
    Relevance
    Religion
    Repentance
    Repetition
    Reputation
    Respect
    Responsible
    Rest
    Restoration
    Revenge
    Revival
    Reward
    Righteous
    Role
    Sacrifice
    Safety
    Salvation
    Satan
    Security
    Selection
    Self
    Sensitive
    Serving
    Sickness
    Silence
    Sin
    Sincerity
    Sorrow
    Soul
    Speech
    Spiritual Disciplines
    Spiritual Gifts
    Spiritual Growth
    Spiritual Warfare
    Status
    Stewardship
    Strategy
    Strengths
    Stress
    Stubborn
    Submission
    Success
    Suffering
    Suicide
    Teaching
    Team
    Temptation
    Testimony
    Testing
    Thankful
    Theology
    Thinking
    Thoughtful
    Time
    Tradition
    Training
    Travel
    Trinity
    Trouble
    Trust
    Truth
    Understanding
    Unequal
    Unity
    Values
    Victory
    Virtue
    Vision
    Warning
    Weakness
    Will
    Wisdom
    Witness
    Work
    Worry
    Worship
    Youth
    Zeal

Picture

Contacts

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Photo used under Creative Commons from Rachel Maxey Miles